This invention relates to apparatus for use in the proper alignment of skeletal features of a human patient, and more particularly to apparatus for properly aligning the selected skeletal features of the patient in lateral, longitudinal and vertical axes passing therethrough.
Medical professionals, especially chiropractors, are interested in ascertaining the skeletal position of a patient, particularly that of the entire skeletal frame, so that arch pads and/or heel lifts may be utilized in the shoes of the patient to correct malpositioned bone structure and thus properly align the skeletal frame. One form of a device addressing such a function is shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,336,917 entitled "APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING BONE STRUCTURE MISALIGNMENT" which issued Aug. 22, 1967 and is hereby incorporated by reference herein. Therein I disclosed a therapeutic apparatus utilizing laterally spaced-apart measuring arms contacting the laterally spaced-apart notches as located below the anterior superior crest of the ilia. These measuring arms have readout gauges associated therewith for indicating the degree of relative anterior/posterior or superior/inferior displacements, if any, between the two notches. If not properly aligned, the patient was moved vertically and/or horizontally relative to and along a base platform until these notches were indicated as being at proper, predetermined alignment. Measurement devices set forth the degree of vertical and/or horizontal movement of the patient from the reference platform plane which is then translated into proper configurations for the heel lifts and/or arch pads.
Although this apparatus was effective in use, I have invented a novel improved apparatus which enables the medical professional to easily ascertain the relative position of selected skeletal features including these iliac notches in anterior/posterior, superior/inferior and lateral directions. In association with these measured displacements and in response to the added lateral determination, I have invented a novel patient support platform device enabling the medical professional to easily adjust the overall attitude of the patient in relation to a referenced horizontal plane so as to move the selected skeletal features into a position negating the presence of the three mesured displacements. Furthermore, I present a new alignment device which enables the medical professional to properly align the head and upper body of the patient, relative to a preferred vertical axis passing therethrough, which can be used to supplement the above discussed skeletal feature alignment so as to more perfectly align the entire skeletal frame.
It is therefore a general object of this invention to provide therapeutic apparatus for properly aligning, with a predetermined reference(s), selected skeletal features of a patient under treatment.
Another object of this invention is to provide apparatus, as aforesaid, allowing for said alignment to correct superior/inferior, posterior/anterior and lateral displacements of said skeletal features from corresponding predetermined references.
Still another object of this invention is to provide apparatus as aforesaid, which selectably adjusts the position of the patient under treatment, relative to a referenced plane, in a manner to correct any displacement of the skeletal features of the patient from said predetermined references.
It is another object of this invention to provide apparatus, as aforesaid, which has measuring devices for contacting the selected skeletal features of the patient in a manner to determine the presence of said displacements.
Still another object of this invention is to provide apparatus, as aforesaid, in which the measuring devices contact the hip regions of the patients, including the notches below the anterior superior crest of the ilia to determine whether any superior/inferior, posterior/anterior and lateral displacements from predetermined references exist.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a patient support assembly for receiving the patient in a standing position thereon which is operator adjustable along longitudinal and lateral axes so as to move said patient into a position in which no measured displacements exist and thus position the skeletal features of the patient according to the predetermined references.
Still a further object of this invention is to provide a patient support assembly, as aforesaid, having left and right pedal plates therein which are operator adjustable along longitudinal and lateral axes passing therethrough, whereby to concurrently position said patient.
A particular object of this invention is to provide a hydraulic support assembly for each of said pedal plates, including the heel and sole components therein.
Still another general object of this invention is to provide a separate alignment device complimenting the apparatus, as aforesaid, for ascertaining the attitude of a selected vertical axis passing through the skeletal frame of the patient.
A more particular object of this invention is to provide the vertical axis alignment device, as aforesaid, which ascertains the proper attitude of the spinal column of the patient relative to a predetermined reference.
Still a further object of this invention is to provide a vertical axis alignment device, as aforesaid, having display means incorporated therein which indicates the preferred and actual attitudes of the selected vertical axis of the patient.
Another particular object of this invention is to provide a vertical axis alignment device, as aforesaid, which has means therein linking movement of the vertical axis of the patient to movement of the display of the actual attitude of the vertical axis allowing the patient to be moved to a position of correspondence of said axis displays.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of this invention.